Flashlight support for firearms



Nov. 6, 1956 c. w. BOORD FLASHLIGHT SUPPORT FOR FIREARMS Filed Jan. 10, 1956 IN VEN TOR. 09642155 14 500,20

%%maq)6 United States Patent FLASHLIGHT SUPPORT FOR FIREARMS Charles William Boord, Martin, Pa.

Application January 10, 1956, Serial No. 558,383

2 Claims. (Cl. 240-6.41)

The present invention relates to a flashlight support for attachment to a firearm.

An object of the present invention is to provide a support for a flashlight for attachment to a rifle or shotgun, and one which when used supports a flashlight on each side of a rifle or shotgun barrel in a position in which the target may be evenly and completely illuminated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a support for attachment to a rifle barrel or shotgun barrel for supporting a flashlight on either side of the barrel, one which supports a pair of flashlights in a position in which the rifle or shotgun barrel is in balance, in a position in which the flashlights are not in the line of sight of the user of the rifle or shotgun, and in a position in which the actuating switch of each of the flashlights is readily accessible to the user of the rifle or the shotgun.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a support for a flashlight for attachment to a rifle barrel which is simple in construction, one sturdy in construction, one which may be economically manufactured and assembled, and one which may be easily attached to and detached from the rifle barrel.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawing, in which:

Figure l is an elevational view of a rifle with the flashlight support of the present invention shown installed upon the barrel of the rifle and supporting a flashlight,

Figure 2 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 22 of Figure 1, but with the flashlights removed, and

Figure 3 is a view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the flashlight support of the present invention consists in an inverted U-shaped member positioned, as shown in Figure 2, with its bight 11- overlying the barrel 12 of a rifle 13. As shown in Figure 1, the flashlight support, designated by the reference numeral 14, is positioned intermediate the ends of the rifle barrel 12.

The U-shaped member 10 has its legs 15 and 16 exteriorly of and loosely surrounding the side portions of the rifle barrel 12, as shown in Figure 2. A horizontally disposed flange 17 projects from the free end of the leg 15 and another flange 18 projects from the free end of the leg 16, the flanges 17 and 18 facing away from each other in opposite directions.

A horizontally disposed plate 19 is positioned beneath the flanges 17 and 18 and extends from the flange 17 to the flange 18. An inverted semi-circular hood 20 projects transversely of the plate 19 at one end of the latter and another hood 21, of similar shape, projects from the other end of the plate 19. Each of the hoods 20 and 21 is provided with a rectangular closed slot 22 in its upper portion and intermediate its ends,

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Another horizontally-disposed plate 23 is positioned below and in parallel relation with respect to the plate 19 and has an upstanding semicircular saddle 24 projecting transversely from one end and another upstanding semicircular saddle 25 projecting transversely from the other end. The hood 20 is in registry with the saddle 24 and the hood 21 is in registry with the saddle 25 forming with the respective saddles a pair of clamps for embracingly supporting the intermediate portion of a flashlight 26, as shown in Figure 1.

Means is provided for fastening the plates 23 and 19 to the flanges 17 and 18. Specifically, this means consists in a pair of bolts 27 and 28 extending through holes provided in the flanges 17 and 18, respectively, and having'their shank extending through aligned holes provided in the plates 19 and 23. Wing nuts 29 and 30 are threadedly received upon the shanks of the bolts 27 and 28 respectively, for attaching the plates 19 and 23 to the undersides of the flanges 17 and 18. The bolts 27 and 28 have round heads and square shank portions which cooperate with the holes in the flanges 17 and 18, respectively, the latter holes being square so that the bolts do not rotate therein. The square shank portion is shown in dotted lines in Figure 3 and indicated by the numeral 31 with reference to the bolt 28. In Figure 1 it will be seen that the flashlight 26 has a switch button on its upper portion projecting through the slot 22 in the hood 21, the button being indicated by the reference numeral 32.

In use, the flashlight support of the present invention may be quickly and easily attached to a rifle 0r shotgun barrel by first mounting the U-shaped member 10 in inverted position over the barrel of the rifle or shotgun intermediate the ends of the latter and then securing first the plate 19 and then the plate 23 to the flanges 17 and 18 of the U-shaped member 10 with the bolts 27 and 28 extending through aligned holes provided in the flanges and in the plates. The nuts 29 and 30 may be turned upon the bolts 27 and 28, respectively, a sufficient distance to loosely attach the plate 23 and the plate 19 to the flanges 17 and 18, the clamps formed by the hoods 20 and 21 and the saddles 24 and 25, respectively, being of suflicient diameter as to permit the insertion of the barrel of the flashlight 26 therein before turning the nuts 29 and 30 tightly upon their respective bolts. In the assembled position with a flashlight in each of the clamps thus formed, the rifle or shotgun will be found to be balanced and with the flashlights out of the line of sight of the user of the rifle or the shotgun. The flashlight support may be quickly and easily adjusted longitudinally of the barrel of the gun upon which it is attached, and with a flashlight on each side of the barrel the target will be evenly and completely illuminated and the projecting end of the rifle barrel or shotgun barrel will not cause a shadow to be formed on either side of the target.

Preferably, the plates 19 and 23 and the U-shaped member 10 are formed of a rigid sheet material such as sheet aluminum, stainless steel, brass, or plastic of suflicient thickness and weight.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with a rifle barrel, a device for supporting a flashlight comprising an inverted U-shaped member adapted to be arranged so that the bight thereof overlies the barrel with the legs exteriorly of the side portions of the barrel, a horizontally disposed flange projecting from the free end of each of the legs of said member, said flanges facing in opposite directions, a first horizontally disposed plate positioned below said flanges and extending from one flange to the other of the flanges, an inverted semicircular hood projecting transversely of said plate at each end of the latter, a second horizontally disposed plate arranged below and in parallel relation with respect to said first plate, an upstanding semicircular saddle projecting transversely of said second plate at each end of the latter, the hoods of said'first plate being in registry with the saddles of said second plate and forming with thersaddles of said second plate a pair of clamps for embracingly supporting the intermediate portions of flashlights, and means extending through said flanges and said first and second plates for attaching said plates to said member.

2 For use with a rifle barrel, a device for supporting a flashlight comprising an inverted U-shaped member adapted to be arranged so that the bight thereof overlies the barrel intermediate the ends of the latter with the legs exteriorly of the side portions of the barrel, a hor izontally disposed flange projecting from the free end of each of the legs of said member, said flanges facing in opposite directions, a first horizontally disposed plate positioned below said flanges and extending from one flange to the other of the flanges, an inverted semicircular hood projecting transversely of said plate at each end of the latter, asecond horizontally disposed plate arranged below and in parallel relation with respect to said first plate, an upstanding semicircular saddle projecting transversely of said second plate at each end of the latter, the hoods of said first plate being in registry with the saddles of said second plate and forming with the saddles of said second plate a pair of clamps for embracingly References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,164,538 Madden Dec. 14, 1915 1,702,101 Basterreix Feb. 12, 1929 2,010,058 Carlson Aug. 6, 1935 

